As Seen On TV to acquire Infusion Brands International

CLEARWATER, Fla.— As Seen On TV — a multichannel distributor of products in such areas as kitchen, outdoor, electronics and clothing — on Monday announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire Infusion Brands International, the marketer behind the renowned "Dual" brand and the strategic partner of Ronco Holdings.

The combined companies will be based in Clearwater, Fla., and will feature a portfolio of such revenue-generating direct response brands as AsSeenOnTv.com, eDiets, DualSaw, Dual Tools and D.O.C. cleaning. Similar to As Seen on TV, Infusion Brands has successfully marketed brands in all channels of distribution; it has expanded its distribution both domestically and internationally through global live-shopping channels.

"Infusion Brands has terrific brands and is renowned for its breakthrough design and innovation heritage," Ronald C. Pruett, Jr., CEO and President of As Seen On TV, Inc., said. "This is a significant step for As Seen On TV and our multichannel distribution platform. The new brands and distribution opportunities, including global retail, should dramatically increase the As Seen on TV inventor licensing opportunities along with our online e-commerce and crowdfunding site traffic."

Giant, based in Carlisle, Pa., and also known as Giant-Carlisle to distinguish itself from another Ahold banner, Giant Food of Landover, Md., said customers at Giant Food Stores and Martin’s Food Markets — part of the same banner — donated $640,194 to local Children’s Miracle Network hospitals in their communities as part of a donation campaign that took place between Nov. 24 and Dec. 7.

"Giant/Martin’s is committed to being a better neighbor throughout the communities we serve, including helping our youngest residents fight for good health," Giant-Carlisle president Rick Herring said. "Thank you to our customers and associates who once again made a donation at the checkout. Combined with our June paper balloon campaign, we are proud to have raised more than $1.1 million in 2013 for Children’s Miracle Network."

Giant-Carlisle also announced a $9,000 donation to Philabundance, a hunger-relief organization in the Philadelphia area.

Target’s Steinhafel reaches out to consumers in wake of payment card hacking

MINNEAPOLIS — The chief executive of Target is reaching out to consumers in the wake of the widespread hacking of credit and debit card data at Target stores that the company confirmed last week.

In a statement on the mass-merchandise retailer’s website, president, chairman and CEO Gregg Steinhafel sought to ameliorate customers’ worries about the possibility that their cards were compromised. He emphasized that the issue had been "identified and eliminated," while the retailer extended a 10% discount to customers who shopped at its stores on Saturday and Sunday.

"We want our guests to understand that just because they shopped at Target during the impacted time frame, it doesn’t mean they are victims of fraud," Steinhafel said. "In fact, in other similar situations, there are typically low levels of actual fraud. Most importantly, we want to reassure guests that they will not be held financially responsible for any credit and debit card fraud."

The company confirmed last week that there was an unauthorized access to payment card data for about 40 million customers between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15. The scale of the hacking was enough that it was a top story in many media outlets around the country, including the New York Times and others. However, it appears that it only affected customers who shopped at the retailer’s brick-and-mortar stores, not its website.

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